1st timer, would love any help

[StaceyRWDWbound]

Ok trying to do my research, but honestly a first trip to WDW feels more daunting than traveling overseas. I hope you all don't mind helping a newbie I would really appreciate it.

A little about our trip, we would like to go for 7 nights 8 days, flexible on dates, but looking at right after new years to minimize time out of school. We are flexible though. It's our first trip and may be our last as well so would love to go at a time where there aren't crazy lines.

We are debating on staying onsight in a value (AofA) or moderate (POR-standard or CBR-garden) or offsight in roomier accomodations. We are a family of 5, 3 kiddos between 3-9.

Our budget is between 5 and 6K and have found hotel, 5 day park tickets (no hopper) and hotels in all above categories during that time of year for that amount if we do offsite we could add a car as well and it would be the same price point as staying onsight with no car.

Just looking for ways that won't break the budget, but will also create a magical experience for the kiddos and us as hubby and I have never been to WDW.

Thanks so much!

 

[Marionnette]

Ok trying to do my research, but honestly a first trip to WDW feels more daunting than traveling overseas. I hope you all don't mind helping a newbie I would really appreciate it.

A little about our trip, we would like to go for 7 nights 8 days, flexible on dates, but looking at right after new years to minimize time out of school. We are flexible though. It's our first trip and may be our last as well so would love to go at a time where there aren't crazy lines.

We are debating on staying onsight in a value (AofA) or moderate (POR-standard or CBR-garden) or offsight in roomier accomodations. We are a family of 5, 3 kiddos between 3-9.

Our budget is between 5 and 6K and have found hotel, 5 day park tickets (no hopper) and hotels in all above categories during that time of year for that amount if we do offsite we could add a car as well and it would be the same price point as staying onsight with no car.

Just looking for ways that won't break the budget, but will also create a magical experience for the kiddos and us as hubby and I have never been to WDW.

Thanks so much!

Your trip will be magical regardless of the amount of the money that you spend. Planning ahead of time is the key to a stress-free vacation.

There are advantages to being onsite (free transportation from/to MCO, extra magic hours exclusive to onsite guests, the ability for book your dining reservations 180 days + 10 prior to arrival, free Magic Bands and the ability to book your advance FP+ at 60 days prior to arrival).

Offsite, ,you will get more room and greater flexibility for dining choices.

There is no right or wrong choice between onsite and offsite. There is only what the right choice is for you and your family.

Does your budget of $5K-$6K include transportation to Orlando and food? Airfare can be a killer for a family of 5. Restaurants in Disney tend to be very pricey. I would start there and work my way backwards for the room, ticket and food costs.

 

[crisi]

One thing to make sure you add in in your on-site off-site decision is the additional costs of the rental car. I don't know what parking is at the parks, but it isn't cheap.

Onsite will immerse you more in the Disney Magic - but offsite hotels are often as nice or nicer and roomier.

Consider a character meal with your kids - its takes an hour and a half, the food isn't great, you'll have to book it early, and its expensive. But its also really magical and a great way to get character interaction without standing in line. Our best pictures from our kids young years are where they have forks in their hands.

There is plenty to do without spending a lot more money. You will want some sort of touring plan to hit the parks with - even going during a down time of year, there will be plenty of lines and an idea of what you need to see and the order to see it in will maximize your ability to get the stuff you want to get done, without spending time on the stuff that with a touring plan would have been down on your list in the "if we have extra time we could...." list.

Your list of things that are must sees and other people's lists may not have much overlap. Pick the list based off your family's preferences, with input from others - you may really enjoy something that someone else doesn't. Know your kids and know their likes and dislikes - don't drag a kid on the Tower of Terror because someone else's six year old LOVES it. And don't be afraid to divide and conquer - to have one parent spend time in Fantasyland while the other parent takes older kids on the "mountains" (Magic Kingdom's coasters - Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain railroad - none of which are huge big thrill coasters - and Splash isn't a coaster at all)

 

[Mad4Dizne]

Hi Stacey and you are right, planning a WDW vacation can be a lot of research/planning, but well worth it! I say do all the planning and research and you will enjoy your trip much more! We usually travel in January and the crowds are manageable and the weather is great. I am an onsite only person when vacationing at WDW, (we are DVC) so you may get better input from some off-site pros on off-site options. Many people love the extra room to stretch out off-site, we like the break from driving and just like being in the Disney bubble, no right and wrong here-just what works best for you. If you stay off-site remember to budget parking at the parks-I think $17/day?
We like the convenience of WDW transportation from Magic Express(free) to and from MCO and to and from the parks and Disney Springs. If anyone needs an afternoon break/or nap the Disney transportation makes this especially easy! Imho, I feel you get the whole Disney immersion experience staying on-site. If you stay on-site, you may want to consider the Disney Dining Plan, as with Disney "kids" (under 10) the plan can really be a deal, especially if you are doing a lot of character meals! We buy Disney gift cards from Target (with the red card 5% discount) for our food budget. You could also order from gardengrocer.com to get snacks/water/breakfast foods for your room for a small fee. Once you have your hotel reservation (on-site) you can make your ADR's 180+10days out and plan out your park days and meals and fastpasses 60 days out. We love magicbands, how everything (room key and tickets and fastpasses) are right on your wrist! We save by getting base tickets (and don't park hop/do 1 park per day). My Disney Experience (online) is great and you can order the Memory Maker too, if it fits your plans (so convenient, and really great pictures!).Have a great trip!!!

 

[StaceyRWDWbound]

Your trip will be magical regardless of the amount of the money that you spend. Planning ahead of time is the key to a stress-free vacation.

There are advantages to being onsite (free transportation from/to MCO, extra magic hours exclusive to onsite guests, the ability for book your dining reservations 180 days + 10 prior to arrival, free Magic Bands and the ability to book your advance FP+ at 60 days prior to arrival).

Offsite, ,you will get more room and greater flexibility for dining choices.

There is no right or wrong choice between onsite and offsite. There is only what the right choice is for you and your family.

Does your budget of $5K-$6K include transportation to Orlando and food? Airfare can be a killer for a family of 5. Restaurants in Disney tend to be very pricey. I would start there and work my way backwards for the room, ticket and food costs.

Thank you so much. The budget covers everything except expenses while we are there. That budget gets us there, a place to stay, car (if we stay offsite) and tickets to the park. Nervous about food costs, which is why I was pondering staying offsite as well as many of them are 2 bedroom villas with kitchenettes where we could eat a meal or two.

 

[StaceyRWDWbound]

Thank you so much everyone, it's so good to hear everyone's perspective as I know you have done this all before. I am leaning more towards onsite just for more of the Disney experience as I have never stayed in any D hotel. We live in California and have been to DL countless times, but always stay with family. Getting so excited! Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions and give your advice.

 

[melifeld]

Since you have 3 Disney kids, if you want to do several character meals and/or table service the dining plan may be worthwhile for you. When you think you know where you want to eat, use this http://www.distripplanner.com to help you decide if the dining plan will be right for your family.

You may also want to look into renting DVC points. Depending on when you go, you may be able to rent DVC points for about the same price as a moderate. Then you would have a kitchen, if that is what you want.

 

[HappyHappy]

Regardless of any immediate responses you get (which will be very helpful), you should do what I did when I first started researching. Go back several months and read budget, restaurant, theme parks etc boards. I have been on these boards for a good amount of time and have saved thousands (Thank you all) I still read them every day, several times a day.

 

[Alesia]

If you decide to stay offsite, get a house, not a hotel. You'll save so much more money. There are tons of 3 bedroom houses that are under $100 per night

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Welcome!

Early January is a good choice. Weather will be cool, crowds will be low-ish, and if you come early enough you'll still get to see all the Christmas decorations.

On-site vs. Off-site is one of the true major Disney decisions, and there are die-hard proponents of each on these boards. Off-site is cheaper, and allows for greater flexibility if you want to visit some of the other FL attractions (e.g., Universal, Sea World). But there are downsides as well. Someone already mentioned the parking costs, which I believe are $14 per day. Then there's the FP+ booking window. You just won't be able to get all the FPs you may want if you can't book 60 days out. I know that having a kitchen to cook meals appears to be a bonus and will save money, if you really want to take time out of your vacation to do that. Personally, while I'm on vacation, the last thing I want to do is leave the parks, go out to my car, navigate back to a hotel, cook a full meal for my family, and then (if there's time) hop in the car to go back to the parks for another hour or so. But that's me. The great bonus of being on site is that you don't have to worry about that stuff. You don't have to worry about parking your car, or cooking your kids meals, or whether you'll stand in line 2 hours to meet Anna and Elsa. You don't have to worry about picking up a rental car, and fueling it, and possibly getting into a minor accident with it (somehow, my husband ALWAYS manages to ding up a rental car when we get one). And as much as many people say the whole on-site mystique is overrated, to me it's not. There really is something about staying in the magic bubble your entire trip. So, ultimately, it's a question of cost vs. convenience. And in my view, if you're already spending 5-6 thousand on a trip, are a few extra hundred more really going to break your bank?

Anyways, have fun with your planning!

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

Hi Stacey,
This is to help you along with an EZ step by step process. I'm sure others can add/comment on better ways to do things but this should get you started.

1. Choosing Dates:
Go to touringplans.com or easywdw.com and look at the crowd calendar. Find dates that appeal to you and are predicted to have the lowest crowds.

Note: Generally the lower the crowd dates the more enjoyable time you will have on your first trip. Also, generally, prices are lower when park attendance is lower.


2. Finding Accommodations:
Now that you have your dates go to the My Disney Experience website and click on the Places to Stay tab at the top of the page. Put in your dates and see what resorts are available.

2A.Tickets: While booking your room you will have the opportunity to buy your tickets as a package. This is up to you to buy them direct from Disney or a third party like Undercover Tourist.

2B.Food: This is where you can choose to buy a Disney Dining Plan.



3. Planning your days at the parks:
Use the crowd calendar that you used to determine your stay dates to help you find which days to visit which parks. I tend to go day by day, choosing the park that has (one) the least attendance that day. It should be relatively easy to visit each park twice during your visit.


4. Advance Dining Reservations (ADR) (table service or character meals):
Now that you know your park schedule, book your ADR’s when your availability first becomes available. ADR’s can be booked 180 days in advance. You can book yours for the entire week on the 180 day mark of your arrival date.
Note: If you plan only to eat at QS and don't have character meals you can skip this step)

5.FastPass+:
When your eligibility date arrives (see below) book your FP+ based on your park schedule and ADR schedule.

A rough rule of thumb to follow is to leave a 2 hour span from your ADR time to the end of your next FP+. This will allow time in case you’re seated late; no rushing to eat; time to get to the attraction. So lunch reservations at noon, next FP+ ends around 2PM

You can get 3 FP+ a day for each visitor using My Disney Experience. You can get additional FP one at a time at kiosks located around the parks.

Notes on FP+:
Guests staying onsite and have already bought tickets can start making FP+ reservations at 60 days from arrival.
Guests staying offsite can start making FP+ reservations at 30 days from arrival.

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

Okay I checked the crowd calendars and it seems that the dates January 10-18 have low crowd attendance.

Note- Just throwing this out there. If you make your reservations around the first week in March, this is historically when Disney puts out discounts. Book now and call to have the discounts added when they come out.


Using the 1/10-1/18 dates I went to My Disney Experience to find you some pricing.

At Caribbean Beach Resort:

Standard View room with 2 queen beds and 1 bunk pull down bed

6- day tickets

Disney QS Dining Plan:

Daily allotments

2 QS meals per person

1 snack per person

1 drink mug per person, refillable at any QS or your resort.


$4,012.94
Memory Maker additional (if you want it): $169
Trip Insurance additional (if you want it):$155

This takes care of hotel, tickets, food. Leaves travel and souvenirs. If you're flying in don't forget to book the Magical Express to get you to and from the airport.

 

[C_leen]

I recommend reading easywdw.com. Josh is absolutely entertaining to read. He proposes various touring plans and then tries them out himself.

 

[amylevan]

Note- Just throwing this out there. If you make your reservations around the first week in March, this is historically when Disney puts out discounts. Book now and call to have the discounts added when they come out.

No. Discounts for January will be out around October.

 

[amylevan]

We are debating on staying onsight in a value (AofA) or moderate (POR-standard or CBR-garden) or offsight in roomier accomodations. We are a family of 5, 3 kiddos between 3-9.

For a family of 5, I'd look at either AorA, a cabin at FW or offsite. Squeezing into POR for a week would be a bit much for our family and you can't put 5 into CBR (unless something has changed...) Nevermind, I see SOMETHING has changed and you can.

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

No. Discounts for January will be out around October.

I misspoke, that is what I meant to say it. I was trying to say you can book now and apply discounts later.

 

[crisi]

Disney QS Dining Plan:

QS means Quick Service by the way - or Disney Fast Food. Counter Service meals (for the most part). There is a lot of variety - it isn't all hamburgers and chicken fingers - but if you are looking at character meals or sit down dinners, those will be out of pocket.

For a first trip, an out of pocket character meal, and going Fast Food, will maximize your flexibility and park time (only one or two ADRs) and with some research, you won't be in line for the same chicken fingers every day.

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

FYI- here is a list of all character meals

http://wdwprepschool.com/guide-to-all-disney-world-character-meals/

I would try to book those sooner than later. You can also use the Disney Dining Plan for these

 

[verleniahall]

Here are the most current parking fees - and let me tell ya - they add up!
We were off site last year, and we paid it for 4 days - that is almost another $70.00 to figure in - OUCH!!

The rate depends on your vehicle, but each theme park lot charges the same rate per day.

Automobile, taxi, limo or motorcycle: $17 USD
Camper, trailer or RV: $18 USD
Bus or tractor trailer: $21 USD

 

[crisi]

FYI- here is a list of all character meals

http://wdwprepschool.com/guide-to-all-disney-world-character-meals/

I would try to book those sooner than later. You can also use the Disney Dining Plan for these

But not the Quick Service Plan.

There are three levels of Dining Plan.

• The cheapest gets you 2 counter service meals per package NIGHT
• The midrange gets you 1 table service (which includes buffet and character meals) and one counter service per package night. Note that a few places will count as two table service credits (for instance Cinderella's Royal Table will cost you two tables service credits per person)
• The premium package lets you eat almost anywhere you want three meals per stay night. Its expensive and unless you plan on spending more time eating than seeing WDW, probably not worth considering.

(Its a little more complicated than that, but lets go with that for now)

OR, you can pay out of pocket - which maximizes flexibility and depending on how you eat, may actually end up cheaper. But you lose the convenience of having it all paid for